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In these difficult times, we’re all looking for a little pinch—ok, perhaps a big ol’ dollop—of cozy. That means books with low conflict, where the emotional turns are mostly heart-warming and the happy, or at least bittersweet, endings are guaranteed. Cozy mysteries, fantasies, and romances have boomed in the past few years as people looked for reading material that would comfort them: books that they could immerse themselves in without being exposed to more angst or drama. The world has enough drama for us all right now, from politics to climate change, and maybe some of you are ready to shift away from more intense, suspenseful reads.
This is a list of books that will help you escape. Books that may deal with tough topics, but always with a light and careful touch. Books where relationships blossom and steady themselves. Books where regrets are discarded and difficult feelings are healed or dissolved. Protagonists are prescribed cats to solve their troubles, sell their regrets to a pawn shop disguised as a ramen spot, fall slowly in love, help to heal each other, and help to heal themselves.
Curl up with one of these seven books on a rainy day with a thick blanket and a cup of tea, or in warm weather by the water on a picnic blanket, sun beaming down on your shoulders. Pass them on to your friends and family who need a boost. Read them before bed instead of doom-scrolling; read them in your book club if you need to refresh your love of reading. I hope you enjoy these seven delightful books.
Healing Fiction
The Lantern of Lost Memories by Sanaka Hiiragi, translated by Jesse Kirkwood
This new book is emotional and heart-warming. Before the recently deceased continue to the hereafter, they make a stop at Mr. Hirasaki’s studio. There, they must choose a photo for each year of their life, forming a lantern show that lets their life “flash” before their eyes. They have the opportunity to retake just one photo. This cozy story is rooted in Hirasaki’s own mystery (he has none of his own memories) and by an exciting ending where the three compelling tales all begin to intertwine.
We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, translated by E. Madison Shimoda
Japanese cozy fiction has been booming over the past few years, and this series is one of the most recent. People who need help come to the Nakagyō Kokoro Clinic for the Soul in Kyoto, where they are prescribed a cat specifically matched to their problems. The six interconnected stories dig into the human-animal connection, the ridiculous personalities of cats, and cats’ ability to sense the person who needs them most. Cat parents and lovers of the “cat distribution system” will especially enjoy this one.
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Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao
Hana Ishikawa was born into her family’s role in the world: to care for a pawnshop where people can come to pawn off their toughest memories and regrets. But when her father goes missing, the store’s most precious item with him, Hana has to set off to find her father and the object before the pawn shop gets in deep trouble with the frightening creatures who frequent the store. With an unexpected customer who’s willing to help, Hana travels through a Studio Ghibli–like world of wonder, from origami transportation to a market in the clouds.
Cozy Romance
A Tale of Mirth & Magic by Kristen Vale (Forever, August 5)
Fans who enjoyed Legends & Lattes will want to check out this new fantasy romance that promises cozy love at its best. Plus-size Elikki is a jewelry artist and elf who doesn’t quite have control over her magic. When she accidentally breaks the wrist of an extremely rude customer, she and eight-foot-tall, soft, lavender-skinned giant Barra must flee from the law together. What follows is a fair amount of sweet and a healthy dose of spice in this romance debut.
Twice Shy by Sarah Hogle
This low-conflict romance features a grumpy/sunshine pairing: one of my personal favorites. Maybell Parish is all sunshine, a dreamer, moving into her great-aunt’s house in the mountains—but then she runs into the groundskeeper, who co-inherited the property and who is a big ol’ grump with social anxiety. Naturally, the two of them slowly get to know each other better, and it builds into a sweet, playful romance that will entertain without needing to force any horrible miscommunications or mid-plot breakups.
Cozy Mystery
The Next Deadly Chapter by V.M. Burns
Burns is well-known for her cozy mysteries. In this one, the owner of Mystery Bookshop, Samantha Washington, is getting closer to her wedding day. But naturally, a dead body turns up, and there’s a mystery that needs to be solved. What’s also fun is the meta twist of us getting to read Washington’s own mystery-novel-in-progress, which reflects and hints at our own plot. Fans of cozy mysteries should already be reading V.M. Burns and her popular Mystery Bookshop series.
This is Not a Game by Kelly Mullen
Mimi is not your usual grandmother. Living on Mackinac Island and drinking her nightly Gibsons, she’s trying to be here for her granddaughter, whose fiancé not only dumped her but also stole all the credit for the mystery video game they’d built together (let’s be real, she built most of it). When the grandma and granddaughter attend a fancy party, it quickly becomes a whodunit, with a dead body and a mansion of guests trapped in the middle of an approaching storm.
Want more cozy? Check out our list of cozy fantasy romances, or our list of cozy mysteries of 2024.